By blocking the track, the farmers ‘wanted to prevent the diesel train on the Lievelde-Winterswijk route from emitting nitrogen any longer in the beautiful Natura2000 area Korenburgerveen’, says activist farmer Henk Oonk. He and his colleagues wanted to make it clear that it is not only farmers who are responsible for nitrogen emissions in the region.
Train traffic shut down
Train traffic could resume after 10 p.m. Due to the protest, two trains stopped at the station and no train traffic was possible between Winterswijk and Vorden. According to Rutger van Lier, one of the initiators of the campaign, about a hundred farmers from the Achterhoek took part in the campaign.
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Van Lier: “There is absolutely nothing more possible in the Netherlands because of the nitrogen myth. So if we as farmers are detained, then so are these two diesel trains.” The protest was ‘purely symbolic’, says Van Lier. “To show the nitrogen madness in this country.” According to the activist, there were about 20 passengers on the trains. “They will be brought home with a number of Teslas.”
Nitrogen targets
In the Netherlands, nitrogen emissions, largely caused by agriculture, must be reduced significantly to give nature areas the chance to recover. On Friday, Minister for Nature and Nitrogen Christianne van der Wal announced the nitrogen targets. These are particularly drastic for farmers. According to these targets, emissions in Noord-Brabant, the Gelderse Vallei and Limburg must be reduced by more than half. In protected natural areas, emissions must even be reduced by at least 95 percent, and in the ring around these areas by 70 percent.
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